Question about iTunes music download to pc on windows 11?

You're right to be confused - Apple runs two separate services that work very differently:

• iTunes Store Purchases: Songs or albums you paid for individually. These are DRM-free (no copy protection) and you have full ownership rights to download and use them as you please.
• Apple Music Subscription: Songs you access through a monthly subscription. These are DRM-protected and cannot be downloaded as permanent files you can keep after your subscription ends.

Since you mentioned you "bought" or download songs from iTunes free over the years, you're dealing with purchased content from the iTunes Store - which gives you legitimate rights to download them directly to your PC.

How to Download Songs from iTunes free (Official Method)

1. Open iTunes on your Windows PC (download from Apple if you don't have it)
2. Sign in with the same Apple ID you used to purchase the songs
3. Authorize this computer: Go to Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer and enter your Apple ID password
4. Go to Purchased: Click Account in the menu bar, then select Purchased (or "Family Purchases" if you're in a Family Sharing group)
5. Select Music from the tabs at the top
6. View Not in My Library to see only songs you haven't downloaded yet, or click "All" to see everything
7. Click the iCloud Download button next to any song you want to download, or click "Download All" in the bottom right corner

Once downloaded, these files are stored locally on your PC. You can find them by right-clicking a song in iTunes and selecting "Show in Windows Explorer" to see the actual file location.